The 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon from MacDonald comes from the To Kalon Vineyard just outside of Oakville. It’s a classic 2014 possessing the purity, elegance, and sheer charm that’s the hallmark of this terrific vintage in the Valley. Crème de cassis, black raspberries, crushed flowers, and incense notes all develop with time in the glass, and while it starts out reticent and lightly textured, it gains incredible depth and length over the evening. This is Napa Valley at its most finesse-driven and elegant, and it’s going to drink beautifully for another two decades.

The 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon from MacDonald is an absolute delight. Aromatic, lifted and finessed, the 2014 is also an unusual vintage for a wine that is often quite inky and deep. On the other hand, this is aromatic, silky and medium in body, almost Burgundian in feel texturally. Although a lighter wine by Napa Valley standards, the 2014 possesses fine depth. More than anything else, I am so impressed with the wine’s freshness and overall poise. Rose petal, blood orange, cinnamon, spice and lavender are some of the many notes that grace this exquisite Cabernet Sauvignon.

Loaded with verve and exuberance, this lusciously fruity organic wine is also savoury and mineral driven. Its aromas tend towards mint and lavender and it’s less concentrated than usual but exudes much more finesse than most wines from the To Kalon Vineyard.